The environmentally conscious Cloud Cult began in the early '90s in Minneapolis, MN, as a solo project for Craig Minowa, who at the time was pursuing a degree in environmental science while shining shoes and driving an ice cream truck, among other jobs.

In 1995, Minowa spent the year recording The Shade Project, which included sounds produced by buckets, pans, and couch cushions. In early 2000, he followed up with Who Killed Puck? After the birth of his son, Minowa kept Cloud Cult as a studio project, with the next two years focusing on family, recording, writing grants, and working as an environmental activist. He also formed Earthology Records on his organic farm, powered by geothermal energy and built partially from reclaimed wood and recycled plastic.

With the sudden death of his son in February 2002, Minowa became reclusive while writing a large volume of songs. They Live on the Sun eventually was finished in 2003 and featured cellist Sarah Young and drummer Dan Greenwood, who became permanent members of Cloud Cult. In January 2004, Cloud Cult added Mara Stemm on bass and released Aurora Borealis just six months later. For the supporting tour, shows began to include live painters (including Minowa's wife), performance artists, back-screen video, and nonprofit environmental tabling organizations. Yet another Cloud Cult album came in the summer of 2004, titled Lost Songs from the Lost Years, a ten-year anthology of previously unreleased work from Minowa. Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus was released June 2005 with the full live band now consisting of Minowa (vocals, guitar, keyboard), Greenwood (drums), Young (cello, keyboard), and Matthew Freed (bass, keyboard, percussion). ~ Kenyon Hopkin, All Music Guide